Ending the Cycle
by Speedy Spazz
Summary: If you were tasked with ending humanity's constant obsession with war, how would you do it.


Disclaimer: Broken Blade is property of Yunosuke Yoshinaga and Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

()

"Son. Listen to me. Listen to your foolish old man."

"I want you to live life as best you can."

"It's a stupid thing I know, but-" The man paused to choke out a few shaky breaths. "But, I want you to promise me. Promise me you will listen to your old man."

"You're going to be something great. "

"I can feel it." There was another pause. "You're going to change the world. You're going to stop this endless cycle. You're going to…"

A deep, hacking cough racked the man's form before a tired smirk worked its way onto his face.

"Promise me son. Grant your father this one last wish."

Another cough tore violently at the man's chest, ejecting a small bit of blood out the side of his pale lips.

"Please forgive your father. He is a foolish man, but know that he loves you with all his heart."

"At the very least know that. No matter what… your father will always-"

The man jolted forward as a long series of guttural coughs tore through his body.

"I know… I know you will achieve greatness… I know you will change the world." The man wheezed, his head drooping down towards his lap. "But, I can only hope you can forgive your foolish old father."

Pressure bubbling up though his chest, the man's body shook as the air was once again presented with those terrible noises. Withdrawing his bloody fist from in front of his mouth, the man forced himself to smile.

Golden blond locks fell to cover his face, allowing only the two separate types of liquid to be seen as they descended, splattering pathetically against the unforgiving concrete.

"If nothing else… just promise me son."

"You don't have to say anything. Just promise your father."

"Promise him that you will laugh, that you will cry, that you will make friends, that you will hate, that you will forgive…"

He inhaled a short, shaky breath. Deterring the pressure for a split second and stretching a smile over his cold features.

"Promise to live."

()

A bird, one of the last of its kind, glided over the arid wasteland that served as his home, chirping merrily despite the bleak scenery.

He could have taken refuge within one of the large, prosperous cities that were dotted throughout the land. He could have made a nice fluffy nest out of the various materials that the humans dropped on the ground or casually discarded. He could have rested on lush green plant life and bathed in an abundance of water while having an audience of thousands everyday to listen to his intricate melodies.

But, he didn't.

His word's traveled though the air unhindered as he continued his glide bathing the land in a sound it had not heard for years.

Not everything that heard the sound enjoyed it, however.

"The one day I don't set my alarm clock." The blond groaned as he rolled onto his side, tugging the covers over his head and leaving only a small opening in front of his face so he may breath without added difficulty.

However, he soon regretted it when the sun's minions decided to slide though his window, slip through the sliver of an opening, and breach his closed eyelids. His eyes now being assaulted by the uninvited army, the man groaned again before tugging on the sheets once more, intent on defending himself from the intruders.

Pulling roughly against the sheets' stubborn resistance, the man committed both his hands to the effort while his eyes remained tightly shut.

"Just one more inch." The man mumbled, feeling some of the darkness return to him. "Just a bit more."

The sheets suddenly slackened dramatically, causing him to punch himself in the face and allowing a cold breeze to flow over his feet.

"Ow."

Stumbling out of his traitorous bed in a half conscious haze, the man's eyes cracked open just in time to see the edge of his desk.

The desk shook violently against his unintentional body slam, dislodging an unsheathed katana from its precarious position and releasing a piercing clattering sound into the blond's ears.

"So it's going to be one of those days." The blond growled, his eyes fluttering open to reveal a sea of blue as his hand moved to massage his sore abdomen.

"Maybe I can sleep through it." Naruto mumbled bitterly, as he shuffled back towards his bed.

After rearranging the sheets back into a suitable position he began the process of tucking himself in, when there was a loud knock at the door. Naruto immediately stopped, his body frozen in its half-lying position as he simply listened.

There was another knock, then another.

A full minute passed before the next one came. And another five minutes passed before the next few came.

Then there was silence.

Another five minutes passed.

Then another.

And just when Naruto thought the coast was clear…

Another knock came.

"Fine damn it." Naruto said, throwing his sheets into the air as he approached the door.

Skillfully maneuvering though the heaps of discarded books, paper, metal, stone, and styrofoam cups, Naruto placed his hand on a small blue orb by the door. The orb glowed for a moment before a couple clicking sounds accompanied the sound of Naruto's incoherent grumbles.

Doing his best to rub the sleep out of his eyes before the thick quartz door finished sliding across the rough stone floor. It took the slab of quartz a couple seconds to complete its journey into the wall, leaving an incredibly average looking man in its place.

"Yes." Naruto greeted, fully aware that he was wearing little more than his trademark blue pajama set and his cherished dog cap as he leaned against the doorway.

Black hair, nondescript face, plain black shirt, brown eyes, average build… yep there was not a single special cell inside the man's body.

The messenger straightened up his posture upon hearing Naruto speak. He hid any possible agitation he had gained from standing in font o the door for the past twenty minutes behind a blank, indifferent facial expression.

Naruto thought he pulled off the look quite well all things considered.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The messenger asked, his face remaining completely impassive as he did so.

"Right here." Naruto said, idly thumping his thumb on his chest before looking at the man's outstretched hand quizzically.

"I was told to make sure that this was received." The man elaborated as Naruto cautiously grasped the thick bundle of papers.

"I see." Naruto said slowly, a small smirk working its way onto his face as gazed down at the bundle.

He simply had to turn it over to see exactly what he was looking for.

_Breaking News: Golems from the Commonwealth of Athens have been sighted less than a mile outside the walls of __Binonten__. Frightened citizens were forced to take refuge in their houses as a citywide lockdown was instigated in response to the unexpected threat. _

_The number of these invading golems is still unknown, but the capabilities of the two golems that were sighted were reported to have been disturbing in their own right. They were said to have defeated their opponents with minimal effort before being forced to retreat in the face of the esteemed General Baldr._

_His majesty King Hodr has yet to make any official announcement on this shocking event, but has called a meeting with his two most trusted generals and a newcomer that he claims may have valuable insight regarding future plans._

'_So, it has begun.'_

"Thank you." Naruto mumbled never looking up from his paper as he stepped back into his room.

And then the door was shut.

Grumbling as he made his way back to his deactivated golem, the messenger was left to wonder two things before they were inevitably forgotten.

'_Who was that man and why did he have to live so damn far away from civilization.'_

()

Walking down the simple concrete steps, the soft thunk of Naruto's dress shoes meeting the pavement was the only thing that accompanied him into the darkness of the dark chamber.

He could have turned on the light or carried a flashlight, but he simply didn't need to. He knew exactly where he would have to go to get to his destination.

When to turn, where to step, where to stop… he knew it all. After all how couldn't he, he had been through the same process many times before. Although, back then the circumstances had been much less… exciting.

Back then his problems had been much different, back then he actually had problems. But not now…

Now he just had a purpose.

A very… ambitious purpose.

"War is such a stupid thing." Naruto announced, his voice echoing throughout the silent chamber. "But, if nothing else it is a crafty being. Those that aim to destroy it are certain to be drawn into its waiting grasp, consumed by the very thing they aimed to destroy."

Suddenly he came to a halt.

"I am no different. I sought to fight war and aimed to kill even hatred itself only to be dominated by one and embrace the other." Naruto said, his eyes partially glazed over as he brought his hand up just in font of his shoulder. "But, you are different."

His hand glowed as he passed it gently over the coarse metallic surface in front of him.

"You can break the cycle that has plagued humanity for their entire existence." Naruto chanted his eyes absently following the smooth trail left behind by his hand as it glided over the material. "I know it."

His gaze drifted upwards.

"I believe it."

He smirked at that, staring at the shadowed outline of his long-time partner.

Naruto chuckled, "Know what?" Naruto asked, pausing for a moment as his mind began to drift away from the words that had driven half of his existance.

"I believe it too."

()

AN: Well, there's the chapter hope you liked it. _Broken Blade_ seems like a great anime to me and I am actually quite surprised it has so small a presence in the fanfiction world, so I decided to play a part in changing that.

Also, seeing as this is the only story of its kind, hearing some of your thoughts on how the story should proceed and what you liked and didn't like about the chapter would be very nice to hear.

And, I would like to know if you want to see other Naruto characters in the story besides Naruto himself.

Until next time...


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